Distractions come in all shapes and sizes…

How do you handle distractions? There are the ‘normal’ ones, you know, the work-from-home-what’s-for-dinner-mom everyday distractions.  The nagging ever growing and never-ending To-Do lists.  Those projects that need to be completed but we can’t pry our attention away from shiny-objects long enough to get-it-done!

And then there are the distraction remedies EVERY business coach, colleague or blogger tells us about:

Silence your notifications.

Only check email twice a day – keep it closed with no pop-ups.

Set aside designated times for social media.

And on, and on…

All great suggestions, but NOT the only things, nor the biggest things, that tend to distract us from the task at hand or the bigger picture items we know we need to focus our attention on.

But it is the distractions that we don’t see that have the biggest impact on our businesses, and our lives. 

Let’s take a look at a few of those…

– the distraction of success

– the distraction of sales and the delivery process

– the distraction of indecision

– the distraction of exhaustion/fatigue/stress/overwhelm

– the distraction of perfectionism

– the distraction of procrastination

– the distraction of our own Ego

– the distraction of the Status Quo

– the distraction of the mundane

– the distraction of the fear of failure

– the distraction of the fear of rejection, pain or disappointment

All of these distractions can be detrimental to you, your business, your health, your family, pretty much everything in your life.  But they don’t have to be.

Let’s look at the first one – the distraction of success. 

In my experience when someone starts to see traction in their business, they let off the gas…they start to coast, congratulating themselves for a job well done!  But then, as they coast along and ride the wave of success, things start to fall through the cracks, pipelines dry up and connections start to forget who they are.  Success has distracted them from doing the daily activities that got them there in the first place.

I am not saying you can’t take a break to enjoy and celebrate the success – absolutely do!  Then dive back in and do it all again. 

Or what about the distraction of our Ego?  Have we not asked for the help we need?  Or been honest with others about our struggles to gain valuable feedback?  All just to ‘look-better’, more successful or that you have it all together.  Ultimately being distracted from gaining the knowledge, the help or the community support that you need.

A bigger one might be the distraction of perfectionism…need I say more?  This often leads to procrastination, delaying doing those needed things to move your business forward because you just ‘aren’t quite ready’, or need to ‘put on the final touches’. 

Then there is my favorite, the distraction of the Status Quo.  The ‘that’s how we have always done it’ syndrome that leads us to never innovate or strive for more or a better way of doing things.  This distraction can leave you in the dust as your competitors fly right by.  We all want to be comfortable, to not step out of that safe place, and there is nothing wrong with that.  As long as we don’t let it distract us from opening our eyes and our minds to new ideas, new ways of doing things, or finishing projects to completion that can give us a new comfort zone to get used to.

We could look at each of the above distractions and endlessly talk about them in-depth…but what it all boils down to is this:  To keep distractions at bay you have to continually stay focused and press-on to the larger goals, the bigger picture, and the steps that will get you there.  Some people call this persistence – I simply call it the distraction-killer! Let’s learn how to handle distractions like these efficiently.

So how do we ‘press-on’?  How do we put on the blinders and not get distracted from these less ‘tangible’ distractions?  How do you arm yourself with a distraction-killer ability? How do we handle distractions?

You first need to recognize the distractions, what you are allowing to distract you. Then begin by intentionally DECIDING to not be distracted by it.  To handle distractions is 90% mental.  10% tactical.

Once you have identified the distraction you can look at it head-on, then derail it, re-focus your energy, and set the distraction aside long enough to keep the momentum going in the right direction.  You look it square in the eye and take away it’s power by saying, “No!  I will not be distracted by you today!”

But more importantly you need to know what it is distracting you FROM.  What are you NOT getting accomplished, what are you not completing, what are you avoiding, what are you not doing as you focus on the distraction?  This may be more vital then the distraction itself….because if you don’t know what you are being distracted FROM then why does it even matter that you are distracted?  Think about it. 😊

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”

– Carl Bard

Don’t think you have it in you to stay focused and persistent?  Do you find these distractions nearly impossible to overcome?  Well – think again!  You DO have it in you…you CAN handle distractions…history shows us.  Let me explain.

You learned to walk didn’t you?  To explore your world, the things around you and you did it by sheer persistence!  Unless you were a child-wonder you most likely fell on your budonkas more than one time as you learned the skill of walking.  You were probably distracted by many things, including the ‘I can just crawl over there or cry till Mom takes me over there’ distraction to learning how to walk. 

But I doubt that either of these scenarios happened, nor did any child think this:

• I Walked!  Now that I have succeeded at that I never have to do it again!
• I am afraid to fall so I just won’t try.
• I can’t walk perfectly yet so I will just wait till I can.
• Should I learn to walk?  Will it really make a difference in my life?

No child has even thought these thoughts…at least I highly doubt it.  We all just did it, fell, tried again and again, and finally achieved success!  Then kept on going…perfecting it more and more each day.

I know, silly example, but one we can all relate to – we didn’t give up, it is not in our nature. 

So what is the best way to be a distraction-killer?

Recognize what is distracting you…face it head-on.

Know what it is distracting you from…recommit to that and stay focused.

Then ‘press-on’, be persistent, keep the momentum going in the right direction to handle distractions.  How?

Here are a few tips:

Be proactive – identify the distraction then find one thing you can do, right now, to stay focused on what it is distracting you from.  That one thing will keep away the distraction-monsters.

Stay positive – you see the distraction now, call it what it is, and move on!  Just because you fell prey to it before doesn’t mean you have to again.  Don’t be too hard on yourself!

Ask for help!  Yes!  Surround yourself with a community to support you, hold you accountable, and encourage you. (Like NBG!)

Get up and shake it off!  Do something active – it has been proven to not only lower stress but also helps you refocus on the task at hand.  Getting a change of scenery can help handle distractions.

The more you do this the better your blinders to distractions will become!